The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1887-06-15
"Off With His Head"

And there IL lies to-trtN
loft With His Head"
During our wanderings in the city OF
Canton. our ears were assailed with the
Cathay synonym Of the Egyptian bak-
seesh cry. till the caverns Of our brains
resounded and echoed with it, Gum
shaw cumshawln yelled immature pos
SCISSORS of pigtails, and mature possessors
echoed the sound wherever we went.
When the youngsters requests were not
complied with, they after little invar-
iablv changed their cry to Fanquai
fananai,- foreign devil, foreign devil
We marched into the magisterial yamun
to the accompaniment Of the cumshaw
tune. Here we wee shown the instru-
ments whereby bamboo chow chow IS
given to the nadal cailosities Of the wick
ed. also ratans and short bludgeons for
stamping the faces of untruthful witnesses,
thunb-screws and racks for exacting con-
fessions no criminal can be executed ae-
oorIing TO the laws Of China until he has
confessed his crimel, campus, a species OF
collar. which for largeness and uncomfort-
ableness even outstrip the Washers, and
which are rectangular planes of wood
with neck and hand holes The gloomy,
small depository-room of these torture
implements we thought to be fair rep
resenfation of what a European medieval
chamber of Justice" has been,
We were next taken into our sedan
chairs through an oyercrowded busy part
of the city TO the execution ground, pass
ing on our way the new Roman Catholic
Cathedral, whose gigantic spires pierce
the clouds. The execution ground we
found to be a small inclosed rectangular
space. about fifteen yards by fifty, entered
by a gate. On the right on entering ran
row Of small squalid houses, the habita-
tions Of potters, whose rough, unbaked
work lay about on the ground, drying in
the sun. but we were informed that IT was
cleared away wherever an execution was
about to take place. Facing the potters'
houses was a high wall, at whose base
and leaning against it were some large
crooks. all of which had their mouths
earthed over except one. Here our guide
introduced us to three poorly dressed
Cinnamon. whom we noticed gamblingat
a fan table near the gate on our arrival.
One. big, brutish-looking fellow with a
yillainous cast in one of his eyes, was the
head executioner, and the other two, who
were smallish men, were his assistants.
Through our guide we told the head exc
cutioner that we wished 10 see the instru-
ments of his calling, and thereon he pro-
duced short, heavy two-handed sword
and a long knife The following conver-
sation was carried on between US and this
''boss" through the medium of our guide;
How do you use this sword? Where
is the block"
eve don't use block What we do
is 10 make the prisoners kneel down in
two rows facing one another, and bending
their heads down. Then take the swor
and chop. chop, one on each side, and the
heads fall off; so on, till they're all done,
as you'd switch the tops off green weeds
with your walking-stick."
But you don't always chop head off
with one blow ?
+" Always said the executioner.
"What is the knife for
"For the ling che, or death by many
cuts. We tie the culprit who is condemn
ed 10 this death to that cross there point
ing to two rough Embarked sticks roughly
crossed), and we begin by cutting off the
eyelids ears, nose, and so on, ending by
sticking the knife into the heart. The
cuts vary in number from eight 10 hun
dred and twenty, according TO the helm
business of the culprit's crimes"
What class of criminals are condemn
Ell 10 the ling chez"
"Parricides, matricides, and women
who have killed and mutilated their hus-
bands form the majority"
"Do the executions interfere with your
appetite and sleep?"
The three executioners grinned sardon-
ically at this question, SO We asked:
How many persons have yon exc
cuied in day?"
Il have chopped twenty heads of my
self in two minutes. See that dark-look-
ing place on the ground over there
thatscaused by the blood Of the last batch
we had"
@What is done with the bodies?'
"The friends take the bodies away, but
we keep the heads in the crooks over
by the wall there, and when we have a
large number which are no longer recog-
nizable we bury them. Would you like
to see some of the heads ?"
ave declined, and one of my compan-
ions began to grow pale and complain OF
not feeling well. so we ordered the guide
to lead VI away.
Gentlemen, give twenty cents each,
culnshaw, 10 the executioners,' said the
guide, which We gladly did to escape
from the staring OF the boss butchers
swivel eye; and so ended our interview
with these High Executioners of the